Chapter 22. Earth Bound.
"You're pregnant. I could tell the instant I came in here. You have the glow. We're expecting, too." Wesley smiles at Fred and holds her close.
"How did this…I know how this happened but…" says Dawn. She then sighs.
"It is Connor's, right?" asks Fred.
"Of course," replies Dawn as she bows her head.
"You don't have to be ashamed you're…I mean, Dawn. He seems like a fine young man."
"Yes, he is." Dawn blushes a little. "Please don't tell Giles about this. I want to tell him in my own way, but not now."
"Your secret is safe with us," replies Wesley.
"Thank you."
Then someone knocks at the door and Dawn is afraid that it's Giles. Wesley opens it and they see Tara on the other side. Dawn is relieved.
"Dawn, what are you doing here?" asks Tara.
"I wasn't feeling well and I came here to rest," replies Dawn. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not feeling well myself."
"Stomach ache?" asks Fred immediately. Tara looks at her.
"How did you know?" asks Tara.
"You don't need any test. I know perfectly well what you have."
"What?"
"You're pregnant."
"I'm what?"
"Yes. I know this. Really I can read in anybody. I had a large family and my sisters had many children. I always knew when they were pregnant."
"Are you sure you're not a seer?"
"No, I know I'm not."
"Wow, it's Giles' isn't it?" asks Dawn.
"No, it's Lorne," says Tara. "Of course it's Giles'."
"Well, I've got something to tell you."
"What?"
"I'm pregnant, too."
"Really?" Dawn nods her head. "Giles doesn't know, does he?"
"Did you just get a vision? Is he going to be mad?"
"No, I haven't been getting visions for a couple of days."
"Perhaps the pregnancy must be affecting your abilities," says Wesley.
"That's what I thought," says Tara.
"Are you going to tell Giles?" asks Dawn. "I mean about your pregnancy."
"Yes," Tara says. "He was worried about me. I won't keep this from him. Besides, I've always wanted to have children."
"I'm sure Giles would like that, too. You know, have children." Tara looks at Dawn for a moment.
"You have to tell him about your pregnancy. He needs to know."
"I will, just not now."
"I'll be there when you do. I promise."
"Thanks." Dawn hugs Tara.
"Well, this is going to be exciting," says Fred. "We're all going to have the babies around the same time."
"You men have no shame," says Tara with a smirk to Wesley.
Anger and rage overpowered Connor for four months and he begins to find a different target to pick on. Connor sneaks down to the prison where they are keeping Drusilla. He attacks the guards and steals the keys from them. He then heads over to Drusilla's cell and looks her over before he opens the cell.
"I have a visitor," says Drusilla when she sees Connor walk over to her cell. "But you're not welcome." Drusilla stares at him and Connor stays still for a while and then unlocks the cell door. "Bad boy. On your knees." Connor gives her a grin and quickly grabs her by the throat, pushing her to the wall.
"You know who killed my mother," says Connor. "Tell me where I can find him." Drusilla starts to convulse a little and Connor lets her go. She rests against the wall and looks at Connor.
"Mother has a secret," Drusilla sings over and over.
"What?"
"Mother never told daddy about you, brother." Connor backs away from Drusilla. "She hid you away where no one can find you. Not even daddy."
"What are you talking about? I'm not your brother."
"You see. Concentrate. You'll see." Drusilla walks over to Connor and touches his hand lightly. Connor closes his eyes and quickly gets the vision of his mother's life from beginning to end. Drusilla pulls away and Connor opens his eyes. He takes deep breaths.
"No. No. He can't be." Connor backs away to the door.
"Yes, he is my daddy and yours."
"He killed her. He can't be." Connor drops the keys to the cell and runs out of the prison leaving the cell door partly open. Drusilla pushes the door lightly and steps out.
"Thank you, brother." She smiles wickedly and makes her way up the steps.
"It would be fun," says Fred. "A baby shower for the three of us."
"That sounds like a neat idea," says Dawn. "Maybe I could tell both Connor and Giles before we have it."
"I'm sure you will," says Tara putting an arm around Dawn. "You might not expect it, but he might actually be happy."
"Think so?"
"I know so." Dawn gives Tara a smile. "Well, I'm going to go and see if I can find Connor. Oh, Fred, do come by my room and we can talk about the shower."
"Sure," says Fred.
"Okay, I'm going to waddle out of here." The girls laugh a little as Dawn makes her way out the door.
Dawn walks down the hall towards her room, when she sees Connor. She waddles faster to catch up.
"Connor," Dawn calls out to him. He stops and rolls his eyes.
"What do you want?" asks Connor with an attitude.
"I need to tell you something." Dawn is three feet away from him.
"I don't want to talk, okay? Just go away."
"But…"
"Just leave me alone!" Connor turns around and swings his hand. Dawn, by some sudden force, is pushed away down the hallway into the doors of the room at the end of the hall. Connor's eyes widen at the sight of Dawn under the rubble of two doors. He runs over to her and pulls the doors off from her and holds her close to her. "Dawn. Oh my gosh. What have I done?"
Fred and Tara heard the noise and rush out into the hallway to find Dawn on the floor with Connor. Wesley is right behind Fred and he quickly goes on doctor mode and checks her pulse, which she had a steady one.
Giles and Lorne come from down the hall and the two run over to the mess. When Giles realizes that it is Dawn, he freezes for second.
"What happened?" asks Giles.
"We were talking and the next thing I knew, she was pushed into the doorway," explains Connor. He has tears starting to fall down his cheek and he is clutching Dawn's right hand.
"She's going to be okay," says Wesley. "A couple of bumps and bruises."
"What about the ba…" Tara stops what she says and looks at Giles and then at Connor.
"What were you going to say, Tara?" asks Giles.
"What about the babies?"
"Babies!" both Connor and Giles say at the same time.